Rotatable display stand



Aug. 12, 1952 G. G. MESSICK ROTATABLE DISPLAY STAND Filed Jud 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-l GEORGE G. MESSICK g- 1952 G. G. MESSICK 2,606,664

ROTATABLE DISPLAY STAND Filed July 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG'?) Aug. 12, 1952 G. G. MESSICK ROTATABLE DISPLAY STAND 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 22, 1946 GEORGE G. MESSICK Aug. 12, 1952 G. G. MESSICK ROTATABLE DISPLAY STAND 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 22,

GEOIRGE e. MESSIOK' Patented Aug. 12, 1952 .ROTATABLE DISPLAY STAND George G. Messick, Charlotte, N. 0., assignor of one-fourth to Harry E. Beck, Charlotte, N. 0.

Application July 22, 1946, Serial No. 685,570

This invention relates to a moving display apparatus and providing means whereby a plurality of display stands are mounted on a suitable platform with means for rotating the platform to move the display stands in a circle, together with means forengaging one of the display stands at a time and imparting a complete revolution to the same and then ceasing" revolution of this display stand and when the next display stand comes to position imparting the complete revolution to the same and continuing this cycle of operation as lon'g'as the machine is in operation,

It is an object of this invention to provide a rotatable display platform having mounted thereon a plurality of rotatable display stands with means for not 'only"rotating the display platform and carrying along with it the display stands, but having'means for engaging the display stands and imparting a complete revolution tofthemvonelata time as the display platform moves on its vertical axis, together with means for locking thedisplay platform in position while one of the display stands is being rotated.

Some of the objects of the invention having been' stated, other objects will appear as the description. proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings; in which:

Figureil is a side elevation of the apparatus and showing a display sign mounted in one of the stands thereof;

,Figure 2 is a top plan view of the display apparatus but omitting the display sign shown in Figure'1; a.

--:Figure 3 is. a top plan view without the platformyl 1 Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the;line.4;4 in Figure 2;

; FigureS-is a vertical sectional view taken along the:line. 5'5 in Figure 4; 1 o i Figured is a verticalsectional view takenalong' the line'tTfiin Figure 4; v Q 1 Figure? is a top plan view partly in section and taken along; the; line 11- in Figured;

Figure 8 is a vertiqalsectional view taken, along the line 8-8 in Figure 4; K

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 99 in Figure 4;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line Ill-l0 in Figure 4, p

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numerals H], II and 12 indicate three channel members joined together .attheir inner ends and on which a circular plateipl3 is mounted. These-channel members lll,.l Land 12 also support an annular trackway l4. -At the outer ends of the arms I0, I I and I2 arevmounted the caster rollers I6, so that the apparatus can be rolled to any desired position within a show window, for example.

Mounted on top of circular plate I3 is an in- 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-115) verted channel iron l1 which has secured thereto by any suitable means, such as screws l8, a bearing member 26 having a vertically disposed cavity 2| therein having a ball 22 in its lower portion. Resting on top of the member 20 is a pinion: 24, which has resting on the top thereof acam wheel 25, and resting on top of cam wheel 25 is a plate 26 and resting on top of plate 26 is cross arm 21 on which a circular platform 28 rests. The pinion 24, cam 25, and plate 26, are secured to each other by means of suitable pins 29 and 30, secured therein as by a pressed fit, and this assembly rests on the upper end of a shoulder portion of the bearing member 20. The platform 28, cross arms 21 and plate 26 are all secured together by means of suitable screws 3|. Penetrating platform 28, one of the cross arms 21, plate 26, cam wheel 25 and pinion 24 is a shaft 33 whose lower end rests on ball 22. The shaft 33 has a threaded bore in its upper end receiv ing a screw 35, which penetrates a washer 36 on the upper side of platform 28. Members 24, 25, and 26 are press fitted onto the shaft 33, while the lower end of shaft 33 is rotatably mounted in the bore 2! of member 20 (Figure 10).

Mounted on top of channel member I1 is a tubular member 46 and secured thereto by any suitable means, such as screwsg4l. This mem-- ber 40 has securedtherein a stud shaft 42. Resting-on top of tubular member 40 and rotatably mounted on stud shaft 42 is a bevel gear 43, a pinion 44 and a locking disc 45, which are all secured to each other by means of suitable screws 46 and pins 41. This assembly is also press fitted onto shaft 42.

Meshing with bevel gear 43 is another bevel gear 50 fixedly secured on a shaft 5| rotatably mounted in bearings 52 and 53 secured on top of channel member [1. Also fixedly secured on shaft 5| is a V-pulley 54 on which a V-belt 55 is mounted,'which V-belt is also mounted on a V-pulley 56 secured on motor shaft 51 of a reduction gear motor 58, whichhas a pair of wires 59 and 60 leading therefrom to a suitable plug 61, which can be plugged into a suitable source of electrical energy. The shaft 5! has a cam thereon which is adapted to engage a plunger 66 mounted in a housing 61 secured onv a bracket 69 whose lower end is secured tothe top of channel member llby. bolts H. This plunger is shouldered and has a restrictedupper'p'ortion penetrating the upper portion of housing 61 and between the shoulder portion of plunger 66 and the .upper end of the cavity in housing 6l-is a compression spring 68 for normally urging the plunger 66 downwardly into engagement with cam 65. The upper end of plunger 66 is adapted to engage a cavity 10in the lower surfaoeof one ofthe cross members 21, which support the platform 28. There are four of these cavities, one

and encases the main portion of the apparatus. Also secured to the lower surface of platform 28 The brackets 14 are V-shaped and have the caster rollers I5 mounted in their lower ends and their upper ends are spaced apart from each other and are secured by means of suitable screws 11 to the lower side of platform 28. v

The platform 28 and cross arms 21 have a plurality of vertically disposed openings 80 therein. Secured to the lower surface of each cross arm 2'! is a sleeve82 by means of suitable screws 85. Rotatably mounted in this sleeve 82 is a shaft 86 having a bevel gear 81 secured on the lower end thereof and which bevel gear hasa cavity 81a at one spot in its periphery adapted'to be engaged by a ball 88 disposed in one end of a well 89-securedin one leg of the bracket 14 and having a compression spring 90 mounted therein and its other end closed by a plug 9! for forcing the ball 88 against the periphery of the hub of bevel gear 81 at all times to cause the ball 88 to move into the cavity in the hub of bevel gear 8! when the ball and the cavity coincide.

Disposed'ontop of the sleeve 82 is a sleeve member 94 which is secured onto the shaft 86 by means of a set screw 93 and this sleeve 94 is flared outwardly at its upper end, and has resting thereon a circular display support or stand 95 which is secured in position by means of bolts 96. The upper end of this shaft 86 has a bore 86a therein (Figure 2) into which a rod 91 maybefitted and secured in position by means of a set screw 98 and rod 91 may have a suitable display sign 99 mounted therein, if desired Bevel gear 8'! is, adapted to be contacted by a segmental gear I80 mounted on the outer end of shaft 5|, there being as many teeth in the sege mental gear 100 as there are in the bevel gear 81 so that thesegmental gear I00 will impart a complete revolution to bevel gear 8'1, when it is engaged, and then will cease to rotate bevel r gear 81. a The cam wheel has aplurality of arcuate portions I82, I03, I84 and.l85 in its periphery which are adapted to be engaged by the periphery of locking disc 45. Wheel has a cutaway portion, as at I08, disposed immediately above the toothed portion of segmental gear 44 so that while the toothed portion of segmental gear 44 is engaging teeth ingear 24 this will allow rotae tion of gear 24, but just as the teeth in the seg-v mental gear 44 move out of contact with-the teeth in gear 24, then thelargerperipheral portion of wheel 45will pass into the path of camv wheel 25 tothe position shown in Figur'e'Tto thus prevent any change ofposition of platform 28 until the next operation is called for.

The segmental gear IBOhas twice the circumference as beveled gears 81, and as it moves out of contact with beveled gear BL'the gear 81 is in position where the ball 88 will fall into the cavity in thehub ofbeveled gear 81 and holds the stand 95 in stationary position until its beveled gear is again contacted by segmental gear I80. During the time that the gear 81 is in mes 1 4 with gear I00, the segmental gear 44 is not in mesh with the gear 24 (Figures 4 and 7) thus permitting the platform 28 to rotate while all of the display stands 95, remain stationary except for movingwith the platform 28. Of course, this will also cause the display stand 95, whose gear 4 8'! had moved into engagement with the segmental gear I00, to rotate a revolution when the platform 28 is stationary.

In the, drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim.

I claim:

An improvement in a display apparatus having a base member and a rotatable platform mounted on a vertical axis at the'center of said base member and provided with means for intermittently imparting a partial revolution thereto and said apparatus also having a plurality of rotatable display supports mounted to rotate on andrelative to the platform, each of said display supports also having a beveled gear fixed on the lower end thereof and disposed below the platform, said display apparatus also having a driven horizontal shaft disposed beneath the platform, and also having a segmental beveled gear fixed on the driven horizontal shaft adjacent the outer end thereof relative to the axis of the platform for engaging a beveled gear on the lower end of a rotatable display support when presented thereto'by a partial revolution being imparted to the rotatable platform, said improve ment comprising means for locking the platform in a stationary position upon the segmental gear engaging the beveled gear at the lower end of thecorresponding display support comprising said platform being provided with an opening in the lower surface thereof adjacent each of the display supports, a plunger mounted for vertical movement above said horizontally disposed shaft, a cam member fixed on said horizontal shaft and engaging the lower surface of said plunger, spring means normally urging said plunger downwardly into engagement with the upper surface "of the cam member and said corresponding opening in the lower surface of the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in the file of this patent:

a ,VUNITEYD STATES PATENTS Number Brown, Jr. Oct. 7,1941 

